Amy David gets a head wrap made at House of Laces in Langley Park, Md.

House of Laces sells colorful fabrics that reflect the history of global trade

| By Karina Stenquist |

Every square inch of wall in the store is draped in color. Six-yard rainbow swathes are folded and stacked by the door, hung from overhead rails, piled on shelves. Sequins and pearls glint on velvet and voile. Bright hues and gold highlights battle for attention. Bolts of beaded lace drip down the counter side next to cotton waterfalls. In the House of Laces, an African fabric store, culture is wearable.